Life

Mikel Calahorra, Midnight Rider

This Spanish triathlete living in the Middle East is taking the IRONMAN lifestyle the extra mile.

by Lisa Barnes

When 30-year-old Mikel Calahorra got into triathlon in 2001, he never imagined that one day he’d be coaching princes, training for IRONMAN in the middle of the night, or inspiring women in the Persian Gulf to embrace fitness. Calahorra completed his first IRONMAN in Zurich nearly a decade ago and recently won a Gold All World Athlete award after finishing IRONMAN Florida—on the heels of IRONMAN 70.3 Berlin 70.3, and the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Las Vegas).

"This award represents the constant work that goes into training," Calahorra says of the gold distinction. "It motivates me to keep pushing and gives me confidence that I can do better." Calahorra is heading to the IRONMAN World Championship this fall and plans to do a few lead-up races this summer as part of his training. "I get a goal in my head, and reaching it is the best feeling ever—especially when you suffer for it," he says. Hitting his IRONMAN Florida goal last year, with 12 seconds to spare, Calahorra says the race was "a close one:"

"I pushed hard at the end, continuing to calculate paces in my head until I fell over the finish line. Damn, it was like a dream."

Calahorra got his athletic start as a water polo player on the junior Spanish team, and raced mountain bikes for fun. When he began university, he stepped away from sport to focus on his engineering studies. Later, he decided to give triathlon a shot. "I used to do all three sports, so why not?" he recalls.

"Not only are more locals joining triathlon, but more females want to do it, too. In general, people are amazed by the sport."

Though triathlon was popular in his native Spain, it wasn't yet on the radar in Bahrain, where Calahorra eventually relocated for work. His training companions were mostly expats who had to get creative to train in the hot climate and stringent cultural norms. In the summer, there’s 100 percent humidity and temperatures over 100 degrees, making it impossible to get outside during the day. And Ramadan presents even greater challenges. "This is the holy month for Muslims. While the sun is out, everyone must fast—even if you are not Muslim you must follow the rules, or you could end up in jail," Calahorra says. In that period, he says all training must be done at night, and that it's common to log six-hour bike rides from 9:00 p.m. until 3:00 a.m. Despite the untraditional schedule, Calahorra says he’s always happy, and training is still fun. "In Bahrain, most of the good cycling roads are well lit with wide shoulders, so riding with a light on the bike is good enough." Often times, he and his training partners will also have a backup car for increased safety.

As expats like Calahorra and others took to the streets, local media took note and the sport began to catch on. After winning the Bahrain Olympic Triathlon, Calahorra even attracted the attention of the country’s royalty. "Two of the princes took interest in triathlon and hired me to coach them for an IRONMAN event," he says. He adds that they are "rulers leading by example," promoting the sport to try to set healthier habits in that particular part of the world.

Perhaps one of the most important ways that Calahorra has helped Bahrain through triathlon is finding ways to get more women involved. He proposed a plan to the Prince to support some women in a small local race—beginners who had never done any sport before. "The media would cover the event, and show all of Bahrain how any woman, no matter her condition, whether she’s covered or uncovered, a local or an expat, royal or not, experienced or not, can get into this sport to be healthy lifestyle and have loads of fun," he says, thinking back on his proposal. The proposal was enthusiastically accepted, and Calahorra says he can see a difference in the country already: "Not only are more locals joining triathlon, but more females want to do it, too. In general, people are amazed by the sport."

IRONMAN races cover 140.6 miles, but Calahorra has taken the sport the extra mile, using it to inspire positive change in the world for whole societies and individuals—a fitting achievement for an All World Athlete if there ever was one.